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Stan Watts

Stan Watts (1911-2000)

Teams coached: BYU Cougars
BYU record: 371-254 (.594)
Overall record^: 371-254 (.594)

Career Accomplishments:

  • NCAA National Championships:  0
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances:  7  (1950, 1951, 1957, 1965, 1969, 1971, 1972)
  • NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  3  (1957, 1965, 1971)
  • NCAA Tournament Final Four:  0
  • NIT Championships:  2  (1951, 1966)
  • NIT Appearances:  4  (1951, 1953, 1954, 1966)
  • WAC Regular Season Champion:  5  (1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972)
  • MSC/Skyline Regular Season Champion:  3  (1950, 1951, 1957)

Awards:

  • NABC Golden Anniversary Award (1990)
  • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 1986)
  • National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2006)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1949-1972 BYU
1947-1949 BYU (freshmen)
1941-1945 Dixie College

Stan Watts Facts

  • Stanley H. Watts
  • Born August 30, 1911
  • Died April 6, 2000
  • Hometown: Murray, Utah
  • Alma Mater: Brigham Young University (BA, 1938)
  • The Utah-native spent two years lettering in basketball, baseball and track and field at Weber State (then JC) before earning his degree from BYU
  • Started his coaching career at Millard HS (UT) and later spent four seasons coaching basketball, baseball and track and field at Dixie JC (UT)
  • Spent two years as head coach at Jordan HS (UT) before returning to BYU to become freshmen coach in 1947
    • Watts also coached the BYU baseball team in 1948
  • Took over as the head coach of the Cougars’ men’s program two years later in 1949, coaching the team for 23 seasons
    • Won 371 games, eight conference titles (five WAC and three Skyline), claiming two NIT titles and going to the NCAA Tournament seven times (with five Sweet Sixteen appearances)
    • Served on the Board of Directors of the NABC from 1958-1968 and then as President of the organization in 1970
    • Wrote the book Developing an Offensive Attack in Basketball in 1958, which served as a manual for the fast-break offense
    • Retiring from coaching in 1972, serving as the University’s athletic director from 1972-1976
  • Chaired the 1976 United States Olympic Basketball Committee and was a member of the NCAA Rules Committee
  • Brought some of his BYU teams down to Brazil in the 1950s, later becoming known as the “father of basketball in Brazil;” returned to the country later in life to continue teaching the sport
  • Along with his wife, Emily, has three daughters and one son

Stan Watts Coaching Tree

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level only